And some great reads you can curl up with over the weekend.

The NYT: On the trail of an intercontinental killer

What Went Wrong? The son of a prominent Boston doctor, David Arndt was on his way to becoming a leading surgeon in his own right when a bizarre blunder interrupted his climb

Presumed Guilty: The wrongful conviction of Tim Masters.

On to a story of 'anarchy', or so former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee says.

Claiming that anarchy prevailed in West Bengal in the seven-month rule of the Mamata Banerjee government, Bhattacharjee said that industrialists have turned away their faces from new investment and farmers are not getting right pricefor their produce. 

"Anarchy prevails in every field, be it industry, agriculture, electricity or education. Not a single new investment has come during the seventh-month tenure as industrialists are wondering how they can invest in the state. Industry requires land, but the state government says they can't give it."

Today's sickest story: A mother drowned her baby daughter in a bucket while her boyfriend watched live over the internet.

Norwegian Yasmin Chaudhry killed the one-year-old by plunging her into a bucket of water during a 3am Skype video call with her British partner.

More on the Daily Mail

We told you early in the day that the Professor Stephen Hawking, the world's most famous physicist, may lose his distinctive computerised voice as deteriorating facial muscles have slowed down his ability to speak to one word per minute.

Another story on Hawking, who will be 70 this month, that's popped up today -- an exclusive interview with New Scientist, where he talks about life and work and yes, women... Read

Meanwhile, Union minister Kapil Sibal today ridiculed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for "remaining ignorant" of corruption by her ministers for a full five years and coming to know about it only at election time.

"It is surprising that when the entire country was aware of corruption in her government, she remained ignorant during her full five-year term and today when elections have been announced she has come to know of it," he said.

Terming the BSP government as the most tainted, he said corruption has been made an election issue by the people who had been at the receiving end during the past 20 years by every political permutation and combination in Uttar Pradesh.

It may be recollected that in August 2010, China objected to the inclusion of the Indian Army's Northern Command Chief Lt Gen BS Jaswal in a delegation, saying the officer oversees Jammu and Kashmir which according to Beijing is a disputed area. China government had asked India to replace Lt Gen Jaswal from the official delegation.

Beijing had, however, allowed the current the Army Chief General VK Singh who was then the GOC-in-Chief and a Lt Gen, Eastern Command, to visit China in August 2009 for a similar high-level exchange. China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own had not objected to General Singh's visit because as head of the Eastern Command, he had jurisdiction over the state.

So, China is back at it. A senior IAF officer from Arunachal Pradesh, part of a military delegation, has been denied a visa by China.

In January, last year, China has said that its policy that Arunachal Pradesh is a 'disputed area' remains "unchanged", days after it issued stapled visas to two Indian sportsmen from the state which it claims as "Southern Tibet.

"China's position is consistent and clear about the China-India border issue including the disputed area of Eastern section and the Indian side is aware of it. The position has remained unchanged," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman's office said in Beijing.

Read more on rediff.com

Even as key aide Shanti Bhushan gets a rap on the knuckles for evasion of stamp duty, Team Anna appears to be confused on how to take the fight for a strong Lokpal forward saying the movement is at "crossroads" and a wrong decision at this stage can prove disastrous for it. 

Though it chose to bring BJP under the line of fire for admitting tainted politicians like Babu Singh Kushwaha into its fold to blunt criticism of being anti-Congress, it did not spare the Congress claiming that Anna Hazare felt cheated by the Prime Minister and the seniormost leadership on Lokpal issue.

Anuj Bidve's father says he is confident that his son will get justice from the British legal system.

If you haven't the faintest on this story, read on rediff.com: 'Anuj wanted to see Christmas, to see Manchester United play'

Yesterday, Subhash Bidve spoke to the press outside parliament house in London. With the couple and Anuj Bidve's brother-in-law, was Labour MP Keith Vaz. The Bidves are in the UK to claim their son's body. Kiaran Stapleton, 20, of Ordsall, has been charged with his murder.

Watch the video of the Bidves outside Parliament House, London, on the Guardian.

Anuj Bidve murder update.

The parents of the Indian student shot dead at Manchester on December 26, visited the crime scene and spoke to the press.

A composed and brave father, Subhash Bidve said, it was an extremely difficult journey to the place where their son was shot. "Those memories, (of the crime scene) will stay with us forever.".

The Bidves will leave for India tomorrow with Anuj's body.

As Anuj's mother stood beside Subhash Bidve, silently wiping her tears, he said, "It is difficult to explain how we felt when we saw the crime spot. We feel shattered. We will leave for India tomorrow with Anuj, but our world has ended, it has perished for us.

"We don't blame the country, we blame one man. We thought the UK would be the safest place, we thought of the US too, but we choose the UK.

"We have to see how we can face the future in our old age."

In other news, stickers defaming industrialist Anil Ambani and his Group ADAG were found pasted at various locations in Mumbai. The group has filed an FIR against unidentified persons yesterday.

The stickers carrying objectionable remarks about Ambani and his corporate entity along with its logo were found pasted at various places in suburban Bandra.

Shanti Bhushan says he will file a writ petition in the HC court over the issue.

Last year, the Bhushans were in the news, when his son Prashant Bhushan gained his share of 'infamy' and was beaten up for reportedly saying that the Kashmiri people should be given 'azadi' if they don't want to live with India. He had also reportedly recommended the withdrawal of Indian army from Kashmir.

Prashant Bhushan is also a key member of Team Anna and part of the Lokpal draft committee.

Remember the Shanti Bhushan CD controversy? Read

In response to the order, Supreme Court lawyer Shanti Bhushan says that the stamp collector is totally incorrect.

The Allahabad HC has orderd Shanti Bhushan to pay a Rs 27.22 lakh fine as stamp duty in a month's time. He has been fined for not paying the full amount of stamp duty for the purchase of land at the posh Civil Lines area in Allahabad.

It was found that the property has been wrongly quoted as 6,67,000 as against approximately Rs.19 crore, a shortfall of approximately Rs.1.33 lakh and subsequently a notice was issued in Bhushan's name in April last year. A case under Indian Stamps Act was also registered.

Just in: Team Anna key member and Supreme Court lawyer Shanti Bhushan has been found guilty of stamp duty evasion. Details awaited.

That's yet another nail in the political coffin of Team Anna.

Sunetra Choudhury  on Twitter: I look forward to the day i can report exactly what happened toaarushi talwar. why was a teenager murdered? the motive is impossible to fix.

The Supreme Court today dismissed the plea of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar against making them an accused in the murder of their daughter, Aarushi. 

The SC says it will not interefere in the magistrate's order and asks the couple to face trial.

The Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur between January 30 and March 3.

Kaushik Basu said the government has to go slow on reforms programme because of political compulsion. "It is a coalition government and you have to carry a body of opinion...," he said.

The government had to put on hold the Cabinet decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail due to stiff opposition of UPA ally Trinamool Congress and Opposition parties.

The government's Chief Economic Adviser, the affable Kaushik Basu told NDTV today that the government will be able to move ahead with the economic reforms programme, including FDI in retail, with some tweaking -- after the Assembly elections. 

"The elections are now around the corner...Once the rush of politics is over and then with some tweaking, it is basically responsiveness to opinion across the board in the country, we will be able to take some of the things forward,"
Basu said to NDTV 24X7.

The BJP responds to the outrage in the ranks over the induction of tainted BSP leader Babu Ram Kushwaha.

The party says that the law will take its own course and the BJP is not giving any cover to him or for that matter joining the party does not provide any legal immunity. The party will not protect the corrupt.

On rediff.com, a slide show that will make you drool.

It seems like 2012 will end up as the year of the tablet PC consumer as the action is just hotting up and hopefully by the time the year ends there would be more consumers with tablet PCs than mobile phones in India.

Read

Also see: Top 1% of mobile users consume half of worlds bandwidth, and gap is growing. On the NYT

While we wait for the BJP to go into a huddle at 4 pm and announce its decision on Kushwaha and poll candidates...

The New York Times on the validation behind Tata's new vehicle, Emo. Read

On rediff.com: STUNNING car launches at the Delhi Auto Expo

Just in: Firebrand sadhvi Uma Bharti has denied reports of a rift with the BJP over the induction of tainted BSP leader Babu Ram Kushwaha, saying she will continue to campaign for the party in the UP ahead of the state polls.

We had told you earlier that the BJP leader suspended campaigning saying she is upset with Babu Ram Kushwaha's induction into the party.

Whether she will in fact, contest the polls, will be decided at 4pm today when the BJP central election committee meets at Nitin Gadkari's residence in Delhi at 4 pm. Just last week, Uma Bharti was keen to get Kushwaha on board, but today, she has changed her stance saying she will not campaign for the UP polls till the issue of Kushwaha is settled.

On Firstpost.com

An update on Cyrus Mistry, Ratan Tata's chosen successor. Mistry has been given the option of running the group differently once he takes over at the end of this year. Asked, by a group of editors in the capital, whether Mistry would become chairman of all key Tata group companies once he takes over, Tata said: "That is for him to decide."

More

On the Independent:

If you think British tabloids are cut-throat, look at the Big Apple's. As Colin Myler, ex-News of the World editor, flies in to run his former boss's arch rival title, a new chapter is about to be written...

Read

Post-lunch/siesta reads...

On on WSJ

A slowdown in India's economy in the second half of 2011 caused many companies to lower their growth targets and slow down their hiring plans. Since the uncertainty about India and the global economy still persists, companies will continue to be cost conscious when drawing up their recruitment plans for 2012.  

More

In other news

A bbc report says that the brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45. University College London researchers found a 3.6% decline in mental reasoning in women and men aged 45-49. Read

Like we said, the Talwars are now trending on Twitter. Here's what the tweets say...

i_panchajanya Panchajanya Always felt they have a hand in it "@ibnlive: Talwars to be tried in Aarushi murder case"

koobear Koo Bear yes, am pleased. For personal reasons. @DramaKinng: #BreakingNews Talwars to be tried in Aarushi murder case

C30D Craig Sad example of Justice delayed and denied RT @ndtv: Aarushi murder case: Supreme Court to hear Talwars' plea today

Violent_Gandhi_ M. K. Gandhi #Talwars are innocent.............

amitabajaj Amita Nayar Bajaj Dead do tell tales-the Talwars present in a hse where their only child lay killed n had keys to d terrace where servant also lay dead!

Any time now, the Talwars will trend on Twitter.

The SC also said today that it hoped the trial would be expedited and said Aarushi's mother Nupur will also have to face trail.

On rediff.com: Read the Feb 2011 interview author Patrick French where he talks about Aarushi Talwar murder: Can there be anything worse than your child being killed?

Rajesh Talwar tells NDTV that there is no justice in this country. Ironically, the case, which captured headlines across the country, would have been closed since the CBI had filed a closure report. However, the Talwars got the case reopened.

Aarushi was found murdered with her throat slit at the Talwar's residence in Noida on the morning of May 16, 2008.

The body of Hemraj, their domestic help, was found on the terrace the next day. The CBI had filed the closure report in the case on December 29, 2010.

Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar, who is the prime suspect in the case according to CBI, had said he wanted case to be reopened.

Rajesh and his wife, Nupur, both dentists, had lashed out at the CBI for making "false and baseless" allegations against them. "By this closure report all I can say is that the CBI has condemned us for life. They have put all kinds of false allegations upon us without any evidence. This has been a completely shocking thing for us," Nupur had said reacting to the CBI's report.

In its closure report, the CBI gave a clean chit to three servants of the doctor couple, Krishna, Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal, who were picked up as suspects.

The CBI has raised doubts over the role of the dentist couple in the case but said there was insufficient evidence against Rajesh for it to file a chargesheet as it could not zero in on any motive.

The full closure report

The sticking points in the closure report filed by the CBI which is investigating the Aarushi murder...

1 The closure report says the crime scene was dressed up before the police was called something that is not associated with a regular criminal.

2 The report also says that the private parts of Arushi had been cleaned up. It is not known whether the closure report speculates about the reason.

3. It speaks of an attempt to fix the post-mortem report to ensure that there is no mention of rape. It says that Dr Dinesh Talwar, Rajeshs brother, made Dr Sunil Dohre of the Noida Hospital, who was conducting the autopsy, speak with a person he introduced as Dr T D Dogra, head of the department of forensic medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The person told Dohre that no mention of rape was needed. CBI, however, found out from Dr Dogra, a renowned authority, that he never spoke with Dohre.

4 Talwars did not tell the CBI about the golf club that was suspected to have been used to Aarushi and Hemraj because of the nature of injuries.

5 The door of Aarushis room had the kind of lock that is in hotel rooms it could have been opened from inside or with a key from outside. Nupur Talwar had the key to her room.

For the five other sticking points click here.

The Supreme Court says it does not want to go into the details of the murder, and summarily dismisses the Talwar's plea that they should not be made accused.

Just in: The Supreme Court dismisses the plea of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar against making them an accused in the murder of their daughter, Aarushi. 

The SC says it will not interefere in the magistrate's order and asks the couple to face trial.

Three years after she was found with her throat slit in her bedroom, Aarushi Talwar's parents have been accused of murdering the 13-year-old. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar - both dentists - have also been accused of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

A Pakistani court has approved a plea to send the records of the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks along with
a judicial commission that is set to visit India to interview key officials.

Anti-terrorism court judge Shahid Rafique accepted the Federal Investigation Agency's application to send the records of the trial and other court documents to the Indian judge who will work with the Pakistani judicial commission when it
visits Mumbai. 

The FIA had filed the application in court on Tuesday and the judge announced his decision the following day. Judge Rafique assigned a court clerk the task of acting as the custodian of the records of the case. 

Here's why Uma Bharti has been trending on Twitter.

Our Delhi correspondent reports that the firebrand BJP leader is likely to contest the UP Assembly elections, but has suspended campaigning saying she is upset with Babu Ram Kushwaha's induction into the party.

Whether she will in fact, contest the polls, will be decided at 4pm today when the BJP central election committee meets at Nitin Gadkari's residence in Delhi Just last week, Uma Bharti was keen to get Kushwaha on board, but today, she has changed her stance saying she will not campaign for the UP polls till the isue of Kushwaha is settled.

On Intelligent Life: Nazi leader wanted to control the world, but he couldn't even control his own digestion, and nor could his half-baked doctor, writes Tony Perrottet, adding perhaps a touch more detail than you might think appropriate ...

Read

Saina Nehwal suffered a straight-game defeat at the hands of sixth seed Yanjiao Jiang of China in the quarterfinals to crash out of the Korea Super Series in Seoul today. 

The fourth seed Indian lost 17-21 10-21 to the world number six Jiang in a 36-minute battle in the women's singles competition.

"A final decision has not been made, but more likely than not there will be a superseding indictment," Assistant US Attorney Richard Tarlowe told the judge. Prosecutors also disclosed during the hearing that apart from passing confidential information about Goldman Sachs and Proctor and Gamble to Rajaratnam, Gupta tipped the Galleon hedge fund founder about P&G's three billion dollar sale of Folgers Coffee Co to JM Smucker in 2008.

Also read the Bloomberg story: Gupta Says US case hurt by Rajaratnam lies

In a pre-trial hearing in a Manhattan federal court yesterday, Judge Jed Rakoff said he would "encourage" the government to be "more specific" about the financial benefits accrued to Gupta, as alleged in the indictment filed against him in October last year.

Rakoff said the prosecutors should "spell them (any financial profits) out with reasonable specificity" in any superseding indictment the government may bring against Gupta in the coming weeks.

During the hearing that lasted for over an hour and which Gupta attended, the government said it is likely to bring slightly revised and expanded charges in a superseding indictment against Gupta by the end of January.

Update on the Rajat Gupta case.

A US judge has asked prosecutors to provide specific financial benefits they allege former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta made by passing inside information to his friend Raj Rajaratnam amidst allegations that he also tipped him about Proctor and Gamble's 2008 sale of Folgers Coffee Co to JM Smucker.

The judge's direction came after Gupta's lawyers claimed he made no profits and called the government's allegations "mumbo jumbo".

Pictured: Raj Rajaratnam

Twelve of the 22 Indian diamond traders, detained in China on charges of smuggling, returned home to Mumbai today after they were let off following
deportation orders by a Chinese court. 

"We are happy that 12 diamond traders held in China returned to India late last night. We are making all efforts to bring back the remaining traders," Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council Chairman Rajiv Jain said.

The 22 traders, hailing mostly from Gujarat and Mumbai were arrested in southern China's Shenzhen city and were charged with smuggling diamonds worth 50 million yuan (USD 7.3 million). They were accused of sourcing diamonds illegally from Hong Kong for sale in the Chinese market.

BJP senior minister and former union minister for environment, Maneka Gandhi, added to the chorus of partymen upset over the inducted of tainted BSP minister Babu Ram Kushwaha. She said that the entire BJP unit was upset at the decision to induct Kushwaha and the party took a wrong decision by accepting a minister expelled by the BSP. She said the party leadership may not have been consulted before taking the decision.

The BJP leadership has been upset over the Kushwaha induction as it also gave the Congress, browbeaten over the Lokpal fiasco, to get back at the party.

The Congress lashed out at the BJP on Wednesday after Kushwaha was raided by the CBI. nduction of Kushwaha into the BJP gave Congress an opportunity to attack the BJP leadership, particularly L K Advani and party president Nitin Gadkari, who had been very vocal in lending support to Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill.

More on rediff.com

Latest in the Bhanwari Devi murder case.

The murder weapon, a cricket bat, used to smash Bhnawari Devi's skull, thereby killing her has been found. The CBI which is investigating the case took two of the hired hitmen to the canal where the nurse's body was set on fire. They said they had thrown the bat into the canal after smashing her head with it.

Four months after she went missing and with several arrested in the case, the CBI on Wednesday had identified the location where the nurse's body was disposed of after she was kidnapped and burnt on September 1, 2011.

Two politicians including a former minister have been arrested for her murder.

Details on the Sukhram case

Former Union Minister Sukhram, convicted in a 1993 telecom scam and ordered to surrender, has slipped into a state of coma, his counsel today told a Delhi Court which deferred the matter for tomorrow. 

"He has gone into coma, he cannot move from hospital," his counsel told Special CBI Judge Dharmesh Sharma. Sukhram, 86, was directed by the Supreme Court to surrender before the trial court yesterday but he avoided the
same citing medical reasons. His counsel had submitted that Sukhram was hospitalised after undergoing computerised tomography (CT) angiography.

Special Judge Sharma deferred the matter for tomorrow as concerned Special CBI Judge Sanjiv Jain was on leave today.

The ruling Pakistan People's Party has decided to hold the general election and the polls to the Senate ahead of schedule against the backdrop of rampant
speculation that the government may not be able to complete its tenure. 

A meeting of the top leadership of the PPP chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday decided to hold elections to the Senate or upper house of parliament in mid-February instead of March 11 as scheduled, the Dawn newspaper quoted an unnamed PPP leader
as saying.

A downcast Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today blamed his team's shambolic first-session batting collapse and the monumental triple century by his
Australian counterpart Michael Clarke for the humiliating innings and 68 runs defeat in the second Test in Sydney.

India found themselves buried under the weight of Australia's 659/4 declared after themselves collapsing to 191 in the first innings.

Ultimately, the team lost by an innings and 68 runs on the fourth day itself to be down 0-2 in the four-match series. The defeat today was also India's sixth cosecutive Test defeat on foreign soil.

Professor Stephen Hawking may lose his distinctive computerised voice as deteriorating facial muscles have slowed down his ability to speak to one word per minute, according to aides.  

The world's most famous physicist uses technology operated by twitching his cheek to painstakingly write words on a computer.  

A tiny infrared sensor on his glasses detects his cheek pulses, and then selects words displayed on a linked-up computer screen. The chosen words are then spoken by a voice synthesiser.  

Just in: The CBI today arrested former UPSIDC Managing Director Abhay Kumar Vajpayee, former DG Family Welfare S P Ram and a trader inconnection with NRHM scam.

The three have been named in the FIR for conspiring to illegally use the NRHM funds along with former BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha.

On Wednesday, the CBI had raided the residence of Kushwaha, former family welfare minister of Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the financial irregularities in the supply of medicines and medical equipment in the NRHM scam.

Just in: Former telecom minsiter Sukhram, convicted in the1993 telecom scam, is in a state of coma, his counsel tells the Delhi court.

Yesterday, the former Union Minister today did not surrender before a Delhi court to serve his three-year jail term in a 1993 graft case citing medical grounds, even as his co-accused Runu Ghosh and P Rama Rao submitted themselves to the law to serve their sentences. 

Sukhram, 86, cited medical reasons for not surrendering as his counsel told Special CBI Judge that the veteran politician has undergone angiography owing to his cardiac ailments and is hospitalised. 

The judge said Sukhram's plea that he be taken into judicial custody at the hospital itself will be heard tomorrow by concerned Special CBI Judge Sanjiv Jain, who was on leave today

Good morning.

It's India's sixth consecutive loss in overseas Tests as we lose the Sydney test. India were bowled out for 400 and the lost the Test by an innings and 68 runs.

First up: For the second time in less than two months, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the country is facing challenges from rising powers in Asia - China in particular and also includes India in 21st century.  "We have got the challenges of dealing with rising powers in Asia. We have got the challenge of, you know, dealing with countries like Russia, rising countries that - like India and others.

"All of that represents the kind of challenges that we are going to have to deal with in this world of the 21st century," Panetta told PBS News Hour in an interview. Here's the transcript of the interview, taken yesterday.

Panetta's remarks came within hours of the Pentagon releasing its defense strategic review which said that the US is investing in long-term strategic partnership with India.

Govt plans 11 tunnels on Pakistan, China borders (The Times of India)

These tunnels,which will be built by the Border Road Organization, will help in rapid mobilization of troops and equipments besides providing better connectivity. Read

DGCA gives Kingfisher 3 days to come up with safety plan (The Times of India)

Kingfisher Airlines has been given three days till Monday to come up with a firm timeline for addressing the serious air safety issues brought out in the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation audit, said DGCA boss Bharat Bhushan on Thursday after a meeting with airline representatives. Read

Non-bailable warrant against Jayalalithaa stayed (The Hindu)
The Supreme Court had ordered on July 10, 2007 that status quo' be maintained in the case, effectively staying the criminal proceedings against Ms. Jayalalithaa before the Judicial Magistrate, Parangipettai, in Cuddalore district. Read

Go to polls without Mamata photo, you will lose deposit: TMC to Cong (Indian Express)
Chill continues between TMC, Cong in West Bengal after TMC dares ally to go to polls alone. Read

Cong hits back, says BJP should clean up first (Hindustan Times)
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi today wrote on Twitter that instead of sending a petition on the lokpal bill to the President, the BJP should create an internal lokpal to screen and admit only corrupt. Read 

Tendulkar misses milestone; India staring at innings defeat (Indian Express)
Michael Clarke captured key wicket of Tendulkar for 80 to spark a dramatic Indian batting collapse. Read